The legendary Roger Bannister leads the pack during a 1954 attempt to break the British record for the two mile. Earlier that year, Bannister had become the first man to break the four-minute mark in the mile.

The day before the start of the semester is like the last minute before the starter’s gun fires for a footrace. Back in high school, I was a miler on the track team. About 60 second before the race, I’d stand in the infield just off to the side of the starting line, walking in aimless little circles. Half a minute later, I’d toe the starting line in my assigned lane, rocking back and forth without moving my feet. Then it was “Runners, take your marks!” and the gun would crack.

The start of the semester is like the first lap of the mile. During that lap, I’d try to get my breathing into a smooth, regular rhythm, even though my lungs were burning. I’d also plot my race strategy based on how the pack was shaping up. That was all there was to it: trying to run four laps faster than anyone else on the track. It never was easy.

The start of my spring semester begins at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow. At about 8:15, I’ll start getting fidgety, wondering how well the first day of class will go. As in the mile, a good start is important. I try to get to class early for a little small talk with the students as they file in.

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Wish I'd Said It

Nota bene: “Fear has governed my life, if I think about it. ... I always feel like I’m not good enough for some reason. I wish that wasn’t the case, but left to my own devices, that voice starts speaking up.” – Trent Reznor

“I hate to say this, but not many people care what you do. They care about what you do as much as you care about what they do. Think about it. Just exactly that much. You are not the center of the universe.” — Laurie Anderson

"The path's not yours till you've gone it alone a time." – William Carlos Williams

“Filling this empty space constitutes my identity.” – Twyla Tharp

"My definition of peace is having no noise in my head." – Eric Clapton

"The wreckage of the sky serves to confirm us in delicious error." – John Ashbery

"We are all here by the grace of the big bang. We are all literally the stuff of the stars." – Dwight Owsley

"It is only with the heart that one can see right; what is essential is invisible to the eye." — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

"Forget about being a perfectionist, because entropy always wins out in the end." – Darren Kaufman.

"Impermanence. Impermanence. Impermanence." – Garry Shandling

"Fame is a vapor; popularity an accident; the only earthly certainty is oblivion." – Mark Twain

"There is no realm wherein we have the truth." – Gordon Lish

"Actual life is full of false clues and sign-posts that lead nowhere." – E.M. Forster

“Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say there is more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe." – Frank Zappa

“I try to leave out the parts that readers tend to skip.” – Elmore Leonard